So that finishes things off in the first game of the double-header. Still another game to go and do hop tabs to follow all the action from Bangalore versus Delhi. The news from that game is that the toss has been delayed due to a slight drizzle, but the good news is that the covers have been taken off. Until next time, see ya from the entire team!

Ravindra Jadeja: "I like to play on this ground. Whenever I come to Ranchi, I do something special for my team. It is a good wicket to bowl on. Dhoni keeps on telling me that we can do it if we take it to the last over."

Ravindra Jadeja is the MoM

Dhoni: "What we wanted to do was to take it to the end. They bowled well in the last couple of overs. The big shot of Jadeja helped us. The effort was good overall. It was a wicket where it was slightly difficult to hit. We gave more runs in a couple of overs and that put pressure on us. Ashwin has the batting ability. We wanted to give him more responsibility. To some extent it paid off . We have played one or two international games, World T20 League and the Indian T20 League as well at Ranchi. It is one of the beautiful stadiums here in India."

Watson: "That (148) was a par score or just above par. The wicket was low and slow. We knew if we bowl well we could defend it. MS Dhoni has done it all through this tournament and all through his career. My batting position depends upon the conditions and situation. I still feel we put in a good performance. Dhoni and Jadeja made it tough for us. We fought till the end."

Even though Kevon Cooper bowled a very good 19th over, Mahendra Singh Dhoni's running between the wickets, ensured that he wasn't run out. Few batsmen in the world would've made that 2nd, when he beat the direct hit from the deep and that turned out to be the turning point. Even then it wasn't an easy task to take 12 off the final over off Faulkner, but Dhoni with one huge swing of the bat hit a biggie and from then on in it was sensible cricket that would win the game. And with Dhoni at the crease, there was no chance that he would've messed it up. Eventually and fittingly he finished it off with two balls to spare and this win takes Chennai to the top of the table. Do stay tuned for the presentation...

The game followed a familiar script much like Chennai's previous games in the competition. They got off to a good start with Dwayne Smith again batting well, Ankit Sharma pegged them back with the wickets of McCullum and Raina and it was a struggle in the middle overs on a slow pitch against a bowling attack that concentrated on taking the pace off the ball. Things got worse for Chennai when Dwayne Smith got out and Dhoni pulled off another surprise by promoting Ashwin at the fall of Smith's wicket. The move worked well as Ashwin played a cameo, gently finding the gaps and stroking the occasional boundary. du Plessis was struggling with a damaged left leg, and that hampered his timing. It looked at that stage, that Rajasthan would win, but they hadn't reckoned with one man - Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

19.4

Faulkner to Dhoni, 3 runs, Chennai win and Ranchi's much loved Dhoni has finished it off. Plays the slower delivery into the off-side, towards sweeper cover and it's only a couple, but Cooper's throw was way over the head of Faulkner, who couldn't collect cleanly. So that allowed the extra run. One has to look at the reactions of both batsmen. Dhoni - stoic, while Ravindra Jadeja - had his arms aloft as if he had won the game. Just saying how both react in the same situation, not taking a dig at Ravindra Jadeja or anything of that sort. The Chennai dug-out erupt, while Rajasthan are crest-fallen. Another last over finish from Chennai and invariably it is Dhoni who is there at the end to see things off. What an unbelievable finisher Dhoni is - best of all-time? Certainly in my book, he is, there is no close competitior in sight. But that is a debate for another day.

19.3

Faulkner to Dhoni, 2 runs, picks the full toss and dabs it towards sweeper cover, it is placed in the gap and they hare back for the 2nd. Cooper's throw wasn't good enough to test either Dhoni or Ravindra Jadeja

19.2

Faulkner to Dhoni, SIX, you bet ya he will try his best! What a shot that is! Ranchi crowd go nuts. Picks the slower delivery and heaves it over wide long-on. Lots of bottom-hand in that shot and the critical thing about that shot was that Dhoni was waiting for the slower delivery, by hanging deep in his crease. What will Faulkner do now?

19.1

Faulkner to Ravindra Jadeja, 1 run, slower delivery outside off, dabbed down to point, a good start from Faulkner, but that brings Dhoni on strike. Will Ranchi's favorite son win it for his side again?

18.6

K Cooper to Dhoni, 2 runs, magnificent yorker on middle and leg, Dhoni digs it out, does so extremely well as he had to be quick to bring his bat down. And as the ball rolled towards mid wicket, they run back for the 2nd, this time easily done. So that will leave 12 for the last over

18.5

K Cooper to Dhoni, 2 runs, what a moment in the game! Dhoni has made it and the third ump's decision draws a maddening cheer from the crowd. Even Dhoni thought he was gone, he was beginning to walk back to the dug-out. An inside-edge ran behind square, the fielder was quick and fired a direct hit at the striker's end, but Dhoni beat the throw and did so really well. The Rajasthan side thought they had their man, but he is like a panther between the wickets. What does he drink and eat every day I would be very interested in knowing

18.4

K Cooper to Ravindra Jadeja, 1 run, so nearly dragged on. The slower delivery again, Ravindra Jadeja's turn to leg misses leg by inches and Dhoni beats the throw from the keeper. He is lightning between the wickets, is that man Dhoni

18.3

K Cooper to Ravindra Jadeja, SIX, what if Dhoni hasn't put it away to the fence, Ravindra Jadeja will. That's what he seems to say after dancing down the wicket and smashing the slower delivery way back into the stands at long-off. Picked the slower ball really well and that is a very crucial hit in the circumstances. Will Cooper continue with the slower deliveries?

18.2

K Cooper to Dhoni, 1 run, Ravindra Jadeja is home and that draws a huge cheer from the crowd. Full and fast down leg, Dhoni flicked it through his legs, but straight to the fielder at short fine, inside the ring, a direct hit from Bhatia, but Jadeja has beaten the throw, just. The third ump confirms the same. Meanwhile, Dhoni was very disappointed that he didn't put that away to the fence

18.1

K Cooper to Ravindra Jadeja, 1 run, there comes the slower delivery, Ravindra Jadeja is early into the shot, perhaps wanting to play the big stroke, the ball isn' there for the shot, so Jadeja has to check his stroke to the off-side

Watto is having a chat with Cooper. Chat about field placings. Also perhaps where to bowl to Dhoni. 25 off 12. It's very tense out there at Ranchi. The match is on a knife-edge. Expect a lot of slower deliveries from the Trinidadian, mixed with the fast yorker.

17.6

Faulkner to Ravindra Jadeja, 1 run, dabbed to short third and retains the strike with that run

What has happened there? Ravindra Jadeja has pulled out of that delivery even as Faulkner delivers. It misses the stumps. It would've been interesting had the ball hit the stumps. I'm sure the Rajasthan side would've appealed. Since it missed the stumps, the umpire can signal it as a dead ball. Not sure why Jadeja pulled out. Maybe something moved behind Faulkner just as the bowler was ready to release the ball.

17.5

Faulkner to Dhoni, 1 run, one hand came off the bat handle as Dhoni dabbed it into the point region. Faulkner is mixing the yorkers with these slower deliveries well

17.4

Faulkner to Ravindra Jadeja, 1 run, slower delivery on the stumps, flicked to deep square, is off the mark straightaway

Ravindra Jadeja, left handed bat, comes to the crease

17.3

Faulkner to du Plessis, out Bowled!! That is the perfect yorker. If you want to see a pin-point yorker, you have to watch this dismissal. Full, fast and aiming at the base of middle, du Plessis could do nothing as the ball crashed into the stumps, after squeezing under his bat. Faulkner is pumped. A vital blow in the context of the game. du Plessis b Faulkner 38(39) [4s-2]

Faulkner to du Plessis, THATS OUT!! Bowled!!

17.3

Faulkner to du Plessis, wide, well outside off, there was no way du Plessis could've reached that. Even if he wanted to. Wide called

After that both Dhoni and du Plessis have a chat. A breather for both as they try to get some oxygen back into their lungs. Both take a minute to regroup and now we are ready to go again.

17.2

Faulkner to Dhoni, 1 run, du Plessis has to run and dive back in to make it. Dhoni didn't want to risk the second as Steven Smith was the fielder, but du Plessis even with a damaged left leg wants it. Dhoni sent him back in time and the South African too makes it, as he beats the throw with a desperate dive

17.2

Faulkner to Dhoni, wide, way outside off and that will be a wide. The slower delivery gone wrong that time

17.1

Faulkner to du Plessis, 1 run, off the toe-end of the bat and that means it drops well in front of Steven Smith running in from long-on

James Faulkner [2.0-0-18-0] is back into the attack

32 off 18 and it will be Faulkner to bowl now. With Dhoni at the crease, never count Chennai out. He invariably takes his side through, even though it may come off the last ball of the match

16.6

K Cooper to du Plessis, 1 run, gently works the slower delivery to square leg, retains the strike with that run

16.5

K Cooper to Dhoni, 1 run, Cooper is a lucky man. A horrid loopy full toss down leg, Dhoni flicks it straight to the fielder at short fine. Either side of that man inside the ring and it would've been a boundary

16.4

K Cooper to du Plessis, leg byes, 1 run, huge shout for lbw, but that was sliding down leg. Too much tail on that delivery as Cooper speared it full, du Plessis missed the flick and they cross over a leg-bye. Oxenford got it right

16.3

K Cooper to du Plessis, no run, too early into the shot, too early, du Plessis slogs and misses. Luckily it bounced over the off-stump

16.2

K Cooper to Dhoni, 1 run, misfield from Watto at cover and that gives away the single. Driven straight to him and he has let it through his grasp

16.1

K Cooper to du Plessis, 1 run, slower off-cutter from Cooper, du Plessis dabs it softly in front of point, gives the strike back to Dhoni

Kevon Cooper [2.0-0-8-1] is back into the attack

15.6

Tambe to Dhoni, FOUR, Tambe spoils a very good over until then with a terrible delivery, short and down the leg-side, all it needed was some bat and Dhoni plays the vertical bat sweep past the keeper

15.5

Tambe to Dhoni, no run, bowled from about 24 yards, driven back to Tambe. Another dot

15.4

Tambe to Dhoni, no run, skidding on flat outside off, chopped without any timing to cover, du Plessis is sent back

15.3

Tambe to du Plessis, 1 run, comes down the track and bunts it down to long-off

What a reception Mahendra Singh Dhoni got when he walked out to bat. The entire stadium were on their feet, cheering their favorite son on. Goosebump moment that!

15.2

Tambe to Dhoni, 1 run, on the back foot and turned down to fine leg

15.1

Tambe to Dhoni, no run, ripper from Tambe. Nearly gets the hometown lad out. Fizzing leggie from Tambe, Dhoni was hanging back and nearly edged it behind. Not far away from the off stump as well. Tambe thought he had his man

Pravin Tambe [3.0-0-28-0] is back into the attack

14.6

R Bhatia to Dhoni, 1 run, gently turns this slower delivery on middle and leg into the vacant short mid wicket area, takes the quick single and is off the mark to raucous cheers from his hometown crowd

MS Dhoni, right handed bat, comes to the crease

14.5

R Bhatia to Ashwin, out Bowled!! Knocked him over. The slowness of Bhatia deceiving Ashwin there. Came on very slowly, Ashwin - as have so many batsmen before him today - played the slog too early, the ball came much later and knocked out the leg stump. Ashwin b R Bhatia 14(16) [4s-1]

R Bhatia to Ashwin, THATS OUT!! Bowled!!

Ian Bishop on air says that 'even the limping du Plessis has outrun Ashwin, on one leg'. That was epic from Bish!

14.4

R Bhatia to du Plessis, 1 run, down the track and bunted to long-on

14.3

R Bhatia to du Plessis, 2 runs, Ashwin is haring around for the 2nd. And he makes it again. du Plessis flayed that on the off-side and by the time sweeper came around, they made it easily

14.2

R Bhatia to Ashwin, 1 run, a mistimed cut wide of point. No pace on that delivery from R Bhatia at all

14.1

R Bhatia to du Plessis, 1 run, punched to long-off

During the break, du Plessis was receiving treatment on his left leg. The physio - Tommy Simsek was seen stretching that leg of du Plessis. While turning back for the 2nd in one of the overs, he had landed awkwardly and that caused the problem. A lot of strapping done on the injured leg. From a Chennai viewpoint, they will hope that it's nothing serious. For the moment he is up now. Meanwhile, the iceman Mahendra Singh Dhoni is as cool as ever in the dug-out. He remains as stoic as ever. Will he finish the match off tonight as he does so often? Remains to be seen.

13.6

Faulkner to du Plessis, 1 run, full and on off, driven down to long-off. That brings us to the final timeout of the game

13.5

Faulkner to Ashwin, 1 run, backs away and though the slower delivery followed him, dabs it down to short third, a quick single taken

13.4

Faulkner to du Plessis, 1 run, a gentle tuck to deep square leg, du Plessis is playing this well, looks like he wants to be there at the end

13.3

Faulkner to Ashwin, 1 run, good that Ashwin didn't time that well, if he had done so, he would've holed out to the man at long-on. Right off the toe end as he aimed to loft over long-on, bounces well in front of the man

13.2

Faulkner to du Plessis, 1 run, back-of-the-hand slower delivery, du Plessis shuffles across and works it to square leg, a single taken

13.1

Faulkner to du Plessis, no run, short of length outside off, punched to cover, straight to the fielder. Starts with a dot

James Faulkner [1.0-0-13-0] is back into the attack

12.6

R Bhatia to du Plessis, 1 run, low full toss on the stumps, du Plessis makes room and slices it to sweeper cover, keeps the strike

12.5

R Bhatia to du Plessis, 2 runs, the entire Chennai dug-out are laughing and the reason? Ashwin has just dived back in to make it back for the 2nd. And he has done so successfully. du Plessis came down and flicked it into the deep mid wicket region, Ashwin isn't the swiftest of runners, has to hare back and dive in to make it. Beats the throw and that effort from him brings smiles on the faces of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, RJ and Steve Rixon and a whole lot of claps. Must say that is a first!

12.4

R Bhatia to Ashwin, 1 run, shuffles across a tad and works it gently to the mid wicket region

12.3

R Bhatia to Ashwin, FOUR, Ashwin gets a boundary. And a vital one for Chennai needed that. Down on one knee and slogs the slower delivery to the deep mid wicket fence. Connected that really well

12.2

R Bhatia to Ashwin, no run, again it is Tambe who makes a mess of what could've been a run out chance. The yorker was dug out to him on the on-side, du Plessis was down and had to dive back in to make it. A better throw than the weak under-arm flick that Tambe managed might have got du Plessis in trouble

Tambe to Ashwin, leg byes, 1 run, down the track, not to the pitch of the ball so he has to defend with the pad, a quick leg-bye taken as the ball went to the right of the bowler. If Tambe had been quick, he could've run Ashwin out, but no damage done in the end

11.5

Tambe to du Plessis, 1 run, use of the feet and works it into the mid wicket region, in fact du Plessis edged that onto the pad as he tried to flick

11.4

Tambe to Ashwin, 1 run, opens the face of the bat slightly and dabs it wide of cover. Rotates the strike well

11.3

Tambe to Ashwin, 2 runs, comes down the track and takes it on the full, a wristy flick wide of long-on, that's placed in the gap and that will be a couple of runs

11.2

Tambe to du Plessis, 1 run, very full on the stumps, driven to long-on

11.1

Tambe to Ashwin, 1 run, comes down the track and eases the off-drive to long-off

Pravin Tambe [2.0-0-22-0] is back into the attack

10.6

R Bhatia to Ashwin, 1 run, shuffles across a bit and punches it with a straight bat towards long-on. Was in the air, but nowhere near anyone

10.5

R Bhatia to Ashwin, no run, nearly a caught and bowled. Ashwin was early into the flick, the leading edge doesn't carry to the bowler though

R Bhatia to du Plessis, 1 run, flicked from the stumps to mid wicket, another single

10.2

R Bhatia to Ashwin, 1 run, slower delivery on the stumps, Ashwin flicks it to the mid wicket region, is off the mark

10.1

R Bhatia to du Plessis, 1 run, back of a length outside off, punched through cover for a single

Rajat Bhatia [1.0-0-12-0] is back into the attack

Ravichandran Ashwin, right handed bat, comes to the crease

9.6

K Cooper to Dwayne Smith, out Caught by Yagnik!! That's a big wicket. It's the West Indian who gets his countryman. The slower delivery on the stumps, Dwayne Smith was early into the pull, that meant that he could only tamely top-edge it behind the stumps, where the keeper runs forward to grab an easy catch. Replays show that it came right off the toe end of the bat. Dwayne Smith c Yagnik b K Cooper 44(35) [4s-5 6s-2]

K Cooper to Dwayne Smith, THATS OUT!! Caught!!

9.5

K Cooper to Dwayne Smith, no run, play and a miss! Full and wide outside off, Dwayne Smith throws his bat at it and doesn't connect

9.4

K Cooper to du Plessis, 1 run, du Plessis shuffles across to off, and has to fetch the pull from outside off, dragged down to deep mid wicket

9.3

K Cooper to du Plessis, no run, slower delivery on off, du Plessis gets forward to defend it in front of short cover, wants the single, but the bowler is quick to run forward and stop it

9.2

K Cooper to Dwayne Smith, 1 run, now follows up the slower delivery with a yorker length delivery on off, Dwayne Smith is good enough to squeeze it out to point for a single

9.1

K Cooper to Dwayne Smith, no run, well bowled! Clever slower delivery outside off, Dwayne Smith is early into the slog and misses

Kevon Cooper [1.0-0-6-0] is back into the attack

Time-Out!

8.6

Tambe to du Plessis, FOUR, a reverse scoop and du Plessis reaps rewards for intent. Floated close to the off-stump, du Plessis connects the shot well enough now as he places it over short third man

R Bhatia to Dwayne Smith, FOUR, streaky but four. Full and outside off, keeps low, Smith flails at it, the ball grazes the under-edge, evades the keeper and runs away to the deep third man fence. With Yagnik up to the stumps he had nil chance

7.5

R Bhatia to du Plessis, 1 run, another floaty full ball on the stumps, eased to long off

7.4

R Bhatia to du Plessis, no run, cutter on off, stops on the batsman, check-driven in front of cover

7.3

R Bhatia to Dwayne Smith, 1 run, Dwayne Smith eases a full one down to long on

7.2

R Bhatia to Dwayne Smith, FOUR, Bhatia dishes out another slower ball, this one is short, Smith rocks back and short arm jab pulls it between midwicket and long on. I thought he had muscled that but it actually went off the toe-end of the bat. How much power is packed in his bottom hand?

7.2

R Bhatia to Dwayne Smith, wide, Bhatia sprays it down leg, Smith's sweep has no chance of connecting it

7.1

R Bhatia to du Plessis, 1 run, Bhatia starts off with a slower cutter on off, du Plessis turns it to long on

Rajat Bhatia, right-arm medium, comes into the attack

6.6

Ankit Sharma to Dwayne Smith, no run, Ankit Sharma gives this more air on the off-stump, drawing Smith into a soft forward defensive push. End of an impressive spell from Ankit. His returns: 4-0-20-2

6.5

Ankit Sharma to du Plessis, 1 run, Ankit Sharma digs it in short and offers room, du Plessis cracks it to sweeper cover

K Cooper to Dwayne Smith, no run, low full toss on middle and leg, Smith does not cash in as he flicks it to the man at mid-wicket

5.4

K Cooper to du Plessis, 1 run, worked away off the pads to short fine leg

5.3

K Cooper to du Plessis, no run, du Plessis steps out, looks to whip it to the leg-side but is duped by the lack of pace on this. The ball whizzes past the leg-stump

5.2

K Cooper to du Plessis, FOUR, Faf has nailed this. Tad overpitched and on the stumps, du Plessis drills it straight down the ground, past the bowler to the fence

5.1

K Cooper to du Plessis, no run, Cooper strikes with his first ball, Oh no, the bails have not come off the groove. Faf is riding his luck. This skidded off the pitch and kept low, du Plessis stoops low, tries to keep it out, he only gets a thick inside edge, the ball goes back hits the turf and bounces high, rolls on and hits the timber but the bails refuse to get disturbed. Cooper is half-way through his celebration before realising his ill-luck

Kevon Cooper, right-arm medium, comes into the attack

4.6

Ankit Sharma to Dwayne Smith, no run, picked away off the pads behind square leg but can't beat the fielder

Ankit Sharma to du Plessis, no run, a bit quicker, pushed back to Ankit Sharma

4.3

Ankit Sharma to du Plessis, no run, an appeal for lbw, the inside edge saves Faf. This was tossed up on middle, du Plessis inside-edges the defensive push onto his pads

Faf du Plessis, right handed bat, comes to the crease

4.2

Ankit Sharma to Raina, out Caught by R Bhatia!! Harmless delivery and a soft dismissal. Ankit Sharma has his arms stretched in delight. This was sliding down leg, Raina bends down in an attempt to paddle-sweep it away, he does not bother to keep it down as the ball loops to short fine leg, where Bhatia takes a fairly simple catch. Raina c R Bhatia b Ankit Sharma 2(3)

Tambe to Dwayne Smith, 1 run, flat and on the stumps, Smith drills it to long on

3.6

Tambe to Dwayne Smith, wide, has Dwayne Smith been strangled down leg? Tossed up and turning down leg, Smith misses the sweep, the ball sits snugly in the keeper's gloves. Yagnik goes up for an appeal straightaway but the umpire shoots the appeal down

3.5

Tambe to Dwayne Smith, no run, sliding on off, Smith pushed to cover from the crease

3.4

Tambe to Raina, 1 run, Tambe is firing darts here, Raina stays back and offers a solid punch to long on

3.3

Tambe to Dwayne Smith, 1 run, pushed through short again and outside off, Smith stands tall and punches it down to long off

3.2

Tambe to Dwayne Smith, FOUR, floated on off now, Smith lofts it through the line and nonchalantly so as the ball soars over long off

3.1

Tambe to Dwayne Smith, FOUR, crunched! Hello Tambe says Dwayne Smith. This was pushed short and outside off, Smith punches it off the back foot, threading the gap between extra-cover and mid-off

Pravin Tambe, right-arm leg break, comes into the attack

2.6

Ankit Sharma to Dwayne Smith, 1 run, pushed through short, not all that short, back of a length, Smith whiplashes it to deep mid wicket

2.5

Ankit Sharma to Dwayne Smith, 2 runs, sliding onto the pads, worked off the back foot to backward square leg for a brace

2.4

Ankit Sharma to Dwayne Smith, FOUR, Smith drags it mid-way down the pitch, it sat up to be hit, Smith latches onto it as he pulls it away, pinging the deep mid wicket fence

2.3

Ankit Sharma to Dwayne Smith, no run, drifting onto the pads, Smith flicks it to square leg, Smith hunts for a quick single but is sent back

2.2

Ankit Sharma to Raina, 1 run, tossed up on the stumps, worked away to mid wicket for a single

Suresh Raina, left handed bat, comes to the crease

2.1

Ankit Sharma to Brendon McCullum, out Caught by Nair!! Ankit Sharma has prised out the early wicket for Rajasthan. This was pushed through on the pads, McCullum bends down, sweeps it hard but picks out Nair at backward square leg, who hangs onto a fine catch, for this ball was travelling. Make that a top overhead catch. Brendon McCullum c Nair b Ankit Sharma 6(3) [6s-1]

Ankit Sharma to Brendon McCullum, THATS OUT!! Caught!!

1.6

Faulkner to Dwayne Smith, no run, Faulkner shortens his length, close to the off-stump, no room for Smith to free his arms, he chops it to the right of the keeper

1.5

Faulkner to Dwayne Smith, no run, another floaty slower cutter outside off, creeps under Smith's attempted cut to the off-side

1.4

Faulkner to Dwayne Smith, no run, Faulkner takes some pace off this one and directs it wide outside off, Smith looks to force it through cover but the lack of pace foils his timing

1.3

Faulkner to Dwayne Smith, SIX, second six of the over. This was a length delivery on off, Smith shimmies forward and dispatches it over long off with another lofted drive

1.2

Faulkner to Dwayne Smith, no run, full and outside off, Smith drives it to the off-side

1.1

Faulkner to Dwayne Smith, SIX, cracking shot! This was on a good length and on off, Smith lofts it over the bowler's head, clearing long-on. Crisp, clean strike. He is right to hold his pose after that shot

1.1

Faulkner to Dwayne Smith, wide, inauspicious start for Faulkner as he sprays this wide outside off, Smith cannot reach out and cut it away as he is beaten

James Faulkner, comes into the attack

0.6

Ankit Sharma to Brendon McCullum, SIX, nimble footwork as McCullum gets up and revving with a biggie. McCullum dashes down the track, meets the pitch of the ball and lofts it handsomely, clearing the long on fence

0.5

Ankit Sharma to Brendon McCullum, no run, flat and angling in on middle, McCullum works it away off the back foot but cannot beat short fine leg

Ankit Sharma to Dwayne Smith, no run, similar delivery, skidding onto the pads, Smith still cannot connect the whip

0.2

Ankit Sharma to Dwayne Smith, no run, darted in on the pads at 92kph, Smith misses the whip and wears it on his pads

0.1

Ankit Sharma to Dwayne Smith, no run, a bit of slow turn on off, Smith covers for it and taps it to cover

Dwayne Smith and Brendon McCullum are at the crease. Dwayne Smith is on strike. Ankit Sharma will open the attack

Welcome back..Baz and Smith stride out to the middle. Ankit will open the bowling as well.

Early on, Watto enjoyed a fruitful promotion scoring a brisk fifty. Ankit performed the pinch-hitter role reasonably well. Rajasthan have variety in their bowling to test any batting department. Join us back for the chase in about few minutes.

Having got off to a fine start, Rajasthan would have eyed something more than 150. The Chennai bowlers bounced back with Mohit emerging the pick of the bowlers with a 3-wicket haul. Samuel Badree and Jadeja got the ball to skid off the pitch while Ashwin was off-colour. Rajasthan could only squirt out 49 runs whilst losing 6 wickets in the last 45 balls. Could it turn out to be decisive?

19.6

Mohit Sharma to Yagnik, 1 run, pushed mighty full outside off, close to a yorker, Yagnik clears his front leg and drills it down to long off

19.5

Mohit Sharma to Yagnik, no run, good length delivery angling in, Yagnik looks to slog it away, the ball kisses his pad, eludes the stumps on it's way to MS

Kevon Cooper, right handed bat, comes to the crease

19.4

Mohit Sharma to R Bhatia, out Caught by Dwayne Smith!! Mohit Sharma gives Bhatia a dose of his own medicine. Slower one outside off, Bhatia early into the big blow, he looks to go over the off-side after stepping out, Smith jogs forward from long-off, steadies himself and snaffles the take. Bhatia completely miscued it, the ball skewed off the base of the bat to the West Indian.R Bhatia c Dwayne Smith b Mohit Sharma 7(4) [4s-1]

Mohit Sharma to R Bhatia, THATS OUT!! Caught!!

19.3

Mohit Sharma to R Bhatia, 2 runs, top fielding from Faf now. This was on a length and right in the slot, Bhatia bashes it straight down the ground, Faf runs across from long-off, makes a valiant diving stop and relays it to Smith

19.2

Mohit Sharma to R Bhatia, FOUR, it's real teaser for Vijay Shankar, he runs back, slides but only deflects it to the backward square leg fence. This was a length delivery on middle and leg, Bhatia charges down the track and slogs it away between backward square leg and short fine leg

19.1

Mohit Sharma to Yagnik, byes, 1 run, hurled in very full and wide outside off, this one keeps alarmingly low, Yagnik cannot connect the wild swing, Dhoni is beaten by the lack of bounce as well, a leg-bye is eked out

18.6

Ravindra Jadeja to Yagnik, 1 run, pre-meditates the reverse sweep, a bit risky that, takes it right from middle and gets it down to the sweeper cover man. 4 runs and the two wickets off the over. Excellent stuff from Ravindra Jadeja.

18.5

Ravindra Jadeja to R Bhatia, 1 run, on off, worked through mid wicket, just the single

18.4

Ravindra Jadeja to Yagnik, 1 run, a top-edged sweep, but it lands in front of the man running in from deep backward square leg

Rajat Bhatia, right handed bat, comes to the crease

18.3

Ravindra Jadeja to Binny, out Caught by du Plessis!! Ravindra Jadeja has his second of the over. Binny came down the track, wasn't to the pitch and his big shot, results in a tame mishit, which du Plessis grabs running in from long-on. Jadeja does the double fist pump. Binny c du Plessis b Ravindra Jadeja 22(17) [6s-2]

Ravindra Jadeja to Binny, THATS OUT!! Caught!!

18.2

Ravindra Jadeja to Yagnik, 1 run, turns back in and cramps Yagnik for room, he was making room to cut, eventually dabs it down to cover-point

Dishant Yagnik, left handed bat, comes to the crease

18.1

Ravindra Jadeja to Faulkner, out Bowled!! Clean-up job from Ravindra Jadeja. Quicker from Ravindra Jadeja, gripped on the surface and beat Faulkner's attempted whip to leg. The batsman was early into the shot, off the pad and uproots leg stump. Jadeja has his arms stretched in joy. Faulkner b Ravindra Jadeja 1(4)

Ravindra Jadeja to Faulkner, THATS OUT!! Bowled!!

17.6

Mohit Sharma to Binny, 2 runs, picks the slower delivery, but his hoick results in a thick inside edge as the ball dribbles to wide long-on for a couple of runs

17.5

Mohit Sharma to Faulkner, 1 run, length ball on off, blasted down to long-off. Just a single as the ball went straight to the fielder. Mohit Sharma did well to duck as the ball was aimed right at his head. That could've been nasty had the ball hit the bowler

17.4

Mohit Sharma to Faulkner, no run, pitched up on middle, driven back to Mohit Sharma who fields. That's two dots in a row

17.3

Mohit Sharma to Faulkner, no run, pacy good length delivery on off, Faulkner defends cautiously, a good diving stop from Mohit Sharma on his followthrough

James Faulkner, right handed bat, comes to the crease

17.2

Mohit Sharma to S Smith, out Bowled!! Mohit Sharma again comes back well and dismisses a batsman after getting hit for a boundary off the previous delivery. Must say Smith dug his own grave there, tried to reverse paddle after making room, exposed his leg stump and Mohit hit the stump with uncanny precision. S Smith b Mohit Sharma 9(8) [4s-1]

Mohit Sharma to S Smith, THATS OUT!! Bowled!!

17.1

Mohit Sharma to S Smith, FOUR, too many slower balls from Mohit Sharma and Smith has picked it. Opens the face and goes over cover

Mohit Sharma [2.0-0-17-1] is back into the attack

16.6

Ravindra Jadeja to Binny, no run, a huge shout for lbw first up, Oxenford negates the appeal, it looked close though as Binny missed the sweep and was hit on the back leg, he had strayed too far down the wicket, had to rush back and just about beats point's throw to Mahendra Singh Dhoni

16.5

Ravindra Jadeja to Binny, SIX, over cover and that is a fine shot. Uses his feet and goes over the infield, hit really well and there is enough on that to carry it all the way

16.4

Ravindra Jadeja to S Smith, leg byes, 1 run, this one darts back in to Smith who tried to make room and slog, is hit on the pad, sliding down though and they take a leg bye

16.3

Ravindra Jadeja to S Smith, no run, fired down leg, Smith had pre-meditated the reverse sweep, misses and is hit on the pad

16.2

Ravindra Jadeja to Binny, 1 run, stopped on Binny a bit, who drives uppishly through cover

Ashwin to S Smith, 1 run, down leg from round the wicket - that atrocious line again, but it has been swept away to backward square leg, for just the single. Ashwin gets away

15.5

Ashwin to Binny, leg byes, 1 run, tries to reverse sweep and misses, is hit on the body and they take a leg bye

15.4

Ashwin to S Smith, 1 run, now reverse paddles it to short third man

15.3

Ashwin to S Smith, 2 runs, uses his feet and works it to deep mid wicket, excellent placement and it's a couple of runs. Smith is off the mark with that clever shot

15.2

Ashwin to Binny, 1 run, nudged off the pads to short fine leg

15.1

Ashwin to Binny, no run, steps out and defends it to cover

Ravichandran Ashwin [3.0-0-34-1] is back into the attack

14.6

Badree to Nair, out Bowled!! Chopped on! Badree is too quick to be attempting the cut, it skidded on quickly and the drag-on clatters onto the off-stump. Badree ends his spell with a wicket. Nair b Badree 8(11) [4s-1]

Badree to Nair, THATS OUT!! Bowled!!

14.5

Badree to Nair, no run, plays the slog-sweep too early, bottom-edges it onto the boot. The ball rolls to the off-side

14.4

Badree to Binny, 1 run, initially I thought that throw from Raina was a waste, but replays show that he would've got Nair out with a direct hit. They take the single after the throw missed the stumps

14.3

Badree to Binny, SIX, seeing Binny use his feet, Badree drags it mid-way down the pitch, Binny still manages to pull it between midwicket and long on for a maximum

14.2

Badree to Binny, no run, a confident appeal for LBW but the umpire in non-plussed. Pushed through on the leg-stump, Binny is late onto the defensive push, does not connect, the ball may have been sneaking down leg

14.1

Badree to Nair, 1 run, skidding off the pitch on middle, Nair camps on the back foot and punches it down to sweeper cover

Samuel Badree [3.0-0-11-0] is back into the attack

13.6

I Pandey to Binny, no run, Pandey reverts to the short one outside off, good lift there, Binny chops it to the man at point, cannot get hold of the cut again

13.5

I Pandey to Nair, 1 run, Pandey hurls in the yorker, Nair manages to squirt it to mid on, they hustle through for a single as well

13.4

I Pandey to Binny, 1 run, good length ball angling in, Binny taps it to short cover and sets off. The fumble there allows the duo to complete the single without much trouble

13.3

I Pandey to Binny, no run, Pandey persists with the shortish length of the spectrum, Binny connects the cut but hits it straight to the fielder at point, he forgets about placement

13.2

I Pandey to Nair, 1 run, shortish and angled across, Nair arches back and guides it down to deep third man now. He exploited the pace of Nair to good effect there

13.1

I Pandey to Binny, 1 run, Pandey also hits the back of a length and keeps it on the off-stump, Binny now employs an open face and dabs it to cover point for a convincing run

Ishwar Pandey [2.0-0-14-0] is back into the attack

12.6

Mohit Sharma to Binny, 3 runs, nearly chopped on! The ball evades Dhoni as well. This was pushed at back of a length again, close to the off-stump, Binny committs to a cut, all he manages is an inside-edge that dribbles away, beating both the off-stump and the dive of Dhoni. Lucky three runs for Binny

12.5

Mohit Sharma to Binny, no run, fraction back of a length and decking in, Binny looks to cut it, but is cramped for room, he manages an inside edge onto the pad

Stuart Binny, right handed bat, comes to the crease

Time-out..

12.4

Mohit Sharma to Watson, out Bowled!! Mohit Sharma comes back and shatters Watto's middle stump. Ashwin applauds Mohit's effort. This was fired in full, Watson waits on the back foot, he was perhaps waiting for the slower one. He looks to slog it away to the leg-side but misses as Mohit Sharma rattles the timber. That is a crucial breakthrough for Chennai as Watto was looking in ominous touch. Watson b Mohit Sharma 51(36) [4s-3 6s-4]

Mohit Sharma to Watson, THATS OUT!! Bowled!!

12.3

Mohit Sharma to Watson, SIX, slammed! Watto gets to his fifty in style. Mohit Sharma strays in length as he dishes out a high-ish full toss, Watson smashes it over deep backward leg

12.2

Mohit Sharma to Watson, no run, another cutter outside off, Watson heaves and misses. The slower ones have been working well for Mohit Sharma

12.1

Mohit Sharma to Watson, no run, slower cutter outside off, Watson is duped by the lack of pace. He is palpably early into the shot as he looks to force it through the off-side, misses

Mohit Sharma [1.0-0-8-0] is back into the attack

Mohit replaces Shankar..

11.6

Ashwin to Nair, no run, seeing Nair walk into the drive, Ash loops it up and pulls his length back as well, in the end Nair has to contend with a check-push back to Ashwin

11.5

Ashwin to Nair, no run, tossed up on off, Nair drives it nicely but cannot beat cover

11.4

Ashwin to Watson, 1 run, flat and tucking Watson up for room, close to the off-stump, Watson chops it down to short third man and sets off

11.3

Ashwin to Nair, 1 run, Ashwin gives this more air, turning in as well, Nair manoeuvres it to deep square leg

11.2

Ashwin to Nair, FOUR, fizzer sliding down leg, Nair hunts for a reverse-sweep, does not get any bat onto it but the umpire disagrees, the ball runs away to the deep fine leg fence

11.1

Ashwin to Watson, 1 run, Ashwin darts another one on the pads, Watson whips it away to backward square leg with no fuss

Ravichandran Ashwin [2.0-0-27-1] is back into the attack

10.6

Ravindra Jadeja to Nair, no run, driven straight to the fielder at cover

10.5

Ravindra Jadeja to Nair, no run, turn for Ravindra Jadeja, draws Nair into the stroke, the spin takes the ball away. MS is very quick, but Nair had his foot grounded, though momentarily it was up

A stumping chance sent upstairs against Karun. Is the foot in the air? Looks like Karun is safe and he is.

Karun Nair, right handed bat, comes to the crease

10.4

Ravindra Jadeja to Rahane, out Rahane Run Out!! Watson has sold Rahane a dummy. It was pushed towards cover, Rahane immediately set off, probably the sight of Baz swooping on the ball put off Watson, who sent Rahane back, even with a dive, Rahane wasn't going to make it. A relay throw and MS does the rest. That is a wicket gifted away. Rahane run out (Brendon McCullum/Dhoni) 4(7)

Ravindra Jadeja to Rahane, THATS OUT!! Run Out!!

10.3

Ravindra Jadeja to Watson, 1 run, a rank bad ball - short and wide outside off, flat-batted straight to the fielder at long off, Ravindra Jadeja is lucky to get away there

10.2

Ravindra Jadeja to Watson, no run, skidding on, cramps Watson for room on the cut, a bottom-edge onto the pads. That so nearly went through Watson's defences

V Shankar to Watson, SIX, this is a slog, but that will be another six. Wanted to go on-side and it is deep mid wicket this time as Watson picks the leg-cutter and slogs with brute force. That will be 19 runs off the debutant's opening over

9.5

V Shankar to Watson, SIX, that is into the second tier. Right in the slot for the loft and boy does Watson nail this or what. Got forward and smashed it way back into the stands at long-on. The white ball soared and soared

9.4

V Shankar to Watson, 2 runs, tries the slower delivery this time, it is well outside off, Watson lashes it to sweeper cover, who keeps it to a couple

9.3

V Shankar to Watson, FOUR, how good is the timing on that! It was a low full toss, Watson threaded the gap with a superb cover drive that beat sweeper to his right. Beautifully hit

9.2

V Shankar to Rahane, 1 run, punched off the back foot to cover

9.1

V Shankar to Rahane, no run, was there an edge on that? Rahane was through with the whip to leg very early, the ball came on slower than he anticipated, even if there was an edge, Mahendra Singh Dhoni fluffed it, so it wouldn't have mattered anyway

Vijay Shankar, right-arm medium, comes into the attack

8.6

Ravindra Jadeja to Watson, no run, a fine stop from a diving short mid wicket keeps it to a dot. Ravindra Jadeja goes up to the fielder to pat him for that stop

8.5

Ravindra Jadeja to Rahane, 1 run, an easy drive through cover

8.4

Ravindra Jadeja to Rahane, no run, slower and looped up on off, driven back to Ravindra Jadeja

8.3

Ravindra Jadeja to Watson, 1 run, steers it to backward point, takes the single on offer

8.2

Ravindra Jadeja to Rahane, 1 run, gets forward and works it wide of the bowler, is off the mark

Ashwin to Ankit Sharma, out Caught by Dwayne Smith!! See, if you flight the ball, that is the reward you get, Ash! Lovely loop on that, dropped on Ankit Sharma who was looking for the slog to cow corner, the drop at the last moment, meant there was no timing on the shot and it nearly carried all the way, but Smith settled himself and caught the high ball at long-on. The sun must have been right in Smith's eyes, but he is a smart guy - wearing the floppy, that helps. Ankit Sharma c Dwayne Smith b Ashwin 30(27) [4s-4 6s-1]

Ashwin to Ankit Sharma, THATS OUT!! Caught!!

7.5

Ashwin to Watson, 2 wides, and again. Mahendra Singh Dhoni must be livid with this. He can't glove it properly and that is an extra run as well. Very poor bowling from India's No. 1 spinner

7.4

Ashwin to Watson, FOUR, I don't understand this leg-side theory from Ashwin at all. Atrocious bowling it must be said. That too from round the wicket and he has a short fine in as well, at this level that is begging to be hit, Watson says thank you very much and sweeps it powerfully to the deep backward square fence. Get back to over the wicket, Ashwin!

7.4

Ashwin to Watson, wide, this is horrid bowling. Way down leg and beats Watson on the sweep

Ashwin to Watson, 1 run, low full toss, Watson advances and works it to long-on

7.1

Ashwin to Ankit Sharma, 1 run, Ankit Sharma was aiming for the big hit, was setting himself up for the shot, but Ashwin bowled it slower and that forced the batsman to guide it wide of point

Timeout

6.6

I Pandey to Watson, 2 runs, that's a cracking off-drive, nearly took out Pandey in his followthrough. Mohit does well at long-off, to get to the ball quickly and keep it to a couple

6.5

I Pandey to Ankit Sharma, 1 run, a slower short delivery, pulled to mid wicket. No timing on that shot as well

6.4

I Pandey to Watson, 1 run, was in the air, but goes past Pandey's right-hand, a straight drive on-the-up, and du Plessis is there on the fence to keep it to a single

6.3

I Pandey to Watson, no run, angling in, Watson tries to go big on the on-side, mistimes it to mid wicket

6.2

I Pandey to Watson, FOUR, Intentionally square driven in the air. Full and wide outside off, played with an open face and it beats point to his right. No chance for sweeper to cut it off as well

Ankit Sharma liked that slog-swept six off Ashwin. As soon as he hit that, he sported a huge smile on his face.

6.1

I Pandey to Watson, no run, short of length outside off, Watson cuts without any timing to point

Ishwar Pandey [1.0-0-6-0] is back into the attack

5.6

Ashwin to Ankit Sharma, SIX, make that 17 off that over. A lovely slog sweep from Ankit Sharma to end it. Went down on his knees and picked the full one from middle, went through with the shot and found the crowd at deep mid wicket

5.5

Ashwin to Ankit Sharma, no run, fired in on off, defended with bat and pad close together to cover

5.4

Ashwin to Ankit Sharma, FOUR, now a deft touch. Fired down leg, a faint tickle and that is enough to get him back-to-back boundaries. Short fine was inside and Ankit Sharma beat him easily

5.3

Ashwin to Ankit Sharma, FOUR, tossed up outside off, slogged over mid-on, that was a good hit. Knew the fielder was inside and went over him

5.2

Ashwin to Ankit Sharma, 2 runs, Watson was struggling and if Ashwin had collected the ball, the Rajasthan skipper would've been in trouble. Tried to take on Jadeja's arm and that wasn't a good idea, a rocket throw came from the deep, luckily for Watson, Ashwin didn't collect

5.1

Ashwin to Watson, leg byes, 1 run, from round the wicket and speared down leg, off the pad and they take a leg bye

Ravichandran Ashwin, right-arm off break, comes into the attack

4.6

Badree to Ankit Sharma, no run, fraction short outside off, cut well, but straight to the fielder at point

4.5

Badree to Ankit Sharma, no run, that stopped on Ankit Sharma a bit again, the batsman gets forward to defend and does so not too well, it runs off the outside half of the bat, was in the air, but doesn't carry to anyone in the ring on the off-side

4.4

Badree to Watson, 1 run, flicked in the air and wide of mid wicket

4.3

Badree to Watson, no run, Watson is itching to go big, but Badree has kept him quiet, a big hit attempted, but it skews off the inside half to short mid wicket

4.2

Badree to Watson, no run, Watson was winding up for the big shot, but the length wasn't there, defended to point with an open face

4.1

Badree to Watson, no run, that stopped on Watson a little, a cautious push towards mid-off

3.6

Mohit Sharma to Ankit Sharma, no run, after playing such a delightful shot earlier in the over, he tries an awful slog, doesn't connect and though Dhoni fumbled as he tried to stop it with his pads, they don't take a bye

Mohit Sharma to Ankit Sharma, FOUR, that is a seriously good cricketing shot. A beautiful back foot punch wide of cover and beats mid-off to his right. Beat du Plessis at mid-off - which shows what timing there was on that shot. Found the gap to perfection there. Ankit Sharma looked so good when he played that

Now Mohit Sharma has decided to change his angle, he is coming from round the wicket

3.3

Mohit Sharma to Ankit Sharma, FOUR, finally Ankit Sharma nails one. A flat-batted whack over mid-off. Wanted to play it in the air and did so easily. The length too was right for the shot - as it was on a short of length and well outside off

3.2

Mohit Sharma to Ankit Sharma, no run, a mistimed slog to mid-on, the batsman wanted a run, even Watson did, but they decide against it in the end

3.1

Mohit Sharma to Ankit Sharma, no run, short of length outside off, punched to cover

Mohit Sharma, right-arm medium, comes into the attack

2.6

Badree to Ankit Sharma, 1 run, tucked off the pads to mid wicket

2.5

Badree to Ankit Sharma, no run, beaten on the cut again, slid on quickly and goes under the bat

2.4

Badree to Watson, 1 run, goes on the back foot and whips it to deep mid wicket

2.4

Badree to Watson, 5 wides, down leg and that beats Mahendra Singh Dhoni, he moved to his left, but it went through his legs and to the fence. Bonus runs for the opposition

Badree to Ankit Sharma, no run, was there an inside edge onto the pads? If not, that looked very out. Pitched in line and beat the attempted sweep of Ankit Sharma, no real appeal from the Chennai side. A good stop at slip as the fielder dived to his right and fielded. Otherwise it would've been runs

2.1

Badree to Ankit Sharma, no run, again skids on, pulled without any timing to square leg

1.6

I Pandey to Watson, SIX, cracking pull shot. It was on a good length and on off, Watson was eyeing the wide long-on/deep mid wicket boundary, latches on and thumps it off the front foot over the boundary. He is so good with the pull shot. That spoils what was a very good over until then

1.5

I Pandey to Watson, no run, tries to pull off the front foot, no timing at all as he mistimes the shot to mid-on. The dot balls are building up

1.4

I Pandey to Watson, no run, back of a length on off, forces Watson to defend off the back foot

1.3

I Pandey to Watson, no run, short of length outside off, steered straight to the fielder at point

1.2

I Pandey to Watson, no run, good delivery. Pitches on a short of length and rears up on Watson. The extra bounce surprised Watson who tried to take the bat way, but couldn't. So nearly nicked it. Lovely line from I Pandey as well

Now Mahendra Singh Dhoni goes back. That experiment lasted just one ball

1.1

I Pandey to Watson, no run, good stop by Ravindra Jadeja diving to his right at point. That was cut firmly in the air and it just bounced in front of him, he snaffled it with no fuss. Saved a boundary. Interestingly Mahendra Singh Dhoni was up to the stumps to that delivery

Ishwar Pandey, right-arm medium, comes into the attack

0.6

Badree to Watson, 1 run, he gets forward and eases an on-drive towards long-on to keep the strike

The slip stays for Watson as well

0.5

Badree to Ankit Sharma, 1 run, gets forward and turns it wide of the bowler and takes the single. Is off the mark and that gets Rajasthan underway as well

0.4

Badree to Ankit Sharma, no run, that one kept low and went under the attempted cut shot of Ankit Sharma. So that's 4 dots in a row

0.3

Badree to Ankit Sharma, no run, fullish and draws Ankit Sharma forward, he gets forward and defends it towards mid-off

0.2

Badree to Ankit Sharma, no run, a stifled shout for lbw from Dhoni, but that was sliding down leg, short and down leg, Ankit Sharma pulls and misses. That skidded on very quickly

0.1

Badree to Ankit Sharma, no run, slow turn and Ankit Sharma decides to defend off the back foot

Ankit Sharma and Watson are at the crease. Ankit Sharma is on strike. Badree will open the attack

A surprise as Ankit Sharma is seen walking out with Shane Watson. Will the move to promote Ankit work? We will know very shortly. Badree has the ball. A slip in place for him

MS Dhoni: "We wanted to bat first also. The wicket is dry and it is a 4pm game as well. Well, we respect all sides. We worry more about our side and the areas to improve on. Most of us have played against them. They are a fantastic side. They contribute as a team which is their strength. We have one change with Vijay Shankar coming in place of Mithun Manhas."

Watson: "We are going to have a bat. It is a little bit dry. It will probably change a little bit later in the game. It was a great performance from Smith and Faulkner. It certainly gives us a lot of confidence. I have to step up with the batting. We have three changes. We have Yagnik for Samson. Ankit Sharma replaces Tewatia and Kevon Cooper comes in for Richardson."

Rajasthan Royals have won the toss and have opted to bat

Toss and team confirmation heading your way in a brief while. Do stay with us..

Meanwhile, Chennai have signed up David Hussey as a replacement for the injured Dwayne Bravo. Well as you all know, Mike Hussey is with Mumbai now. His younger brother, David Hussey, who voiced commentary starting with the Indian leg of the tournament, will sport the yellow jersey. I am not sure if he will play today though.

The last time these two sides met in this season Chennai prevailed but not before surviving a late scare. With the Ranchi pitch assisting spin expect Samuel Badree to keep his berth in the XI despite being a bit pricey on his Indian T20 League debut for Chennai. Two former champions are ready to roll. You can't afford to miss this one. Greetings and welcome to Match 37 of the Indian T20 League.

Chennai and Punjab have the same number of points but the latter sit on top of the table by virtue of a better net run rate. Rajasthan are placed third with 2 points shy of Chennai and Punjab. MS Dhoni and his boys will target the top spot when they collide with Rajasthan today. The mood in both the camps is upbeat with Chennai finally conquering the Wankhede while Smith and Faulkner pulled off an incredible heist in Bangalore. With both the batting line-ups oozing confidence this game might just boil down to which bowling attack stays alive at the death.

Preview by Gokul Gopal

Having pulled off a stunning chase against Royal Challengers Bangalore(RCB), the buoyant Rajasthan Royals team will be in search of their 7th win when they take on Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the latter's home game in Ranchi. Rajasthan, who are currently in the third position with 12 points from 9 matches, will be up against the two-time IPL champions, who just recently ended Mumbai's winning streak at home. Chennai are comfortably placed second with 14 points and will be eager to register their second win of the tournament against Rajasthan, which will take them to the top spot.

Chennai Super Kings:

The were made to work hard by the Mumbai Indians but the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led side were up to the task as they brought to an end the defending champs' 10-match victorious streak at the Wankhede stadium. Chennai have been well-served by the overseas opening duo of Dwayne Smith and Brendon McCullum, who have scored 396 and 327 runs respectively and have 8 half-century scores between them. Smith, who scored a crucial fifty against MI - his fifth in this edition - will be hoping to extend his form while McCullum, who has fallen after getting starts in the past few matches, will be eager to make a big contribution. Suresh Raina has looked good but have not scored big yet, which he will be keen to do. Faf du Plessis struggled for a few matches but found form with knocks of 52 against KXIP and 31 against Mumbai, which will give him a lot of confidence. Skipper Dhoni has lived up to his role as a finisher on quite a few occasions this season, including the game against MI, and Chennai can count on him to deliver again.

In the bowling department, Mohit Sharma and Ben Hilfenhaus have been doing their seam-bowling duties well, while the R Ashwin-Ravindra Jadeja spin combo has been consistently firing, much to the delight of CSK. Ishwar Pandey too has done a good job, keeping things tight although he does not have too many wickets to show for his efforts. Mohit, Ashwin and Jadeja all enjoy economy rates below 8, which is not quite the case with Hilfenhaus, and Chennai will be hoping that he shows some improvement on that front. Samuel Badree, in the only game so far, went for 34 runs in his four overs against Mumbai, and the West Indian leggie picked up only one wicket. Using part-timers such as Smith and Raina has not worked to Chennai's liking as they have gone for runs.

Rajasthan Royals:

Chasing 191 and being reduced to 106/5 in the 14th over, most teams would have lost hope, but not Rajasthan Royals as they came up with a scintillating effort to overhaul Royal Challengers Bangalore's score in their last game with 1.1 overs to spare. Steven Smith and James Faulkner were the architects of the victory as they came up with superb knocks to stun RCB in the Chinnaswamy stadium. Rajasthan will be hoping that the pair can do the job again if required, although they will be hoping for the top-order to pull up their socks. Karun Nair did well to score a half-century against RCB - his second in the 2014 IPL - but that apart, there wasn't any other substantial contribution from the top five. Ajinkya Rahane fell after getting to a start while Shane Watson, Stuart Binny and Sanju Samson fell cheaply. What will worry Rajasthan is that the top order failure against Bangalore was not a one-off affair as they had previously failed in the chase of 135 against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Going up against the quality Chennai attack, skipper Watson and the team management will be hoping that the top order batsmen can play more responsibly.

Barring the game against Royal Challengers, the Rajasthan bowlers have been on the mark. Watson has been delivering with the ball, Pravin Tambe has done a superb job while Rajat Bhatia too has contributed. Kane Richardson and James Faulkner have not done badly either as they Australian quick-bowling pair has been amongst the wickets, although the latter has been a touch expensive. The stand-out bowler has been the 42-year-old Tambe, who has troubled the opposition batsmen with his impressive spin bowling. The leg-spinner though had an off-day against RCB as he went for a few, and he will be hoping to get back into his groove. The rest of the bowlers too will be keen to put behind them their poor showing against the team in red, and come up with a disciplined effort against Chennai.

Head to head:

Chennai and Rajasthan have played against each other 14 times so far in the Indian Premier League. The odds are slightly in favour CSK as the Dhoni-led team have a win percentage of 64.28% (9 wins) against the Royals. In their previous meeting at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Chennai had emerged victorious, defending a total of 140 by bowling out Rajasthan for 133.

Team News:

Chennai brought in Badree at the expense of Hilfenhaus against Mumbai but the move did not quite pay off as the West Indian had a slightly expensive outing. Hilfenhaus though might have to wait a bit longer to get back into the eleven as CSK are likely to give Badree another opportunity, considering that the game is in Ranchi, where the spinners performed brilliantly the last time. Leg-spinner Rahul Tewatia, who replaced Dhawal Kulkarni against Bangalore, bowled impressively and he was the only bowler to concede less than six an over. Rajasthan will most definitely give him another opportunity, which means both sides are likely to remain unchanged.

Pitch and Weather:

The pitch at the JSCA International Stadium Complex is known to assist the slower bowlers, as was the case in the game between Chennai and Kolkata. Ravindra Jadeja and Shakib-Al-Hasan did most of the damage in that game and it will be no surprise if the spinners come to the party again in the 37th match of IPL 2014. As far as the weather is concerned, clear skies are predicted.

Quotes:

There have been times when I have walked out to bat and there are three or four overs left, which is not something I am used to. But I feel the more I play in this new role, the more I will get accustomed to it: Faf du Plessis.

All we are concerned about is to play cricket for each other. We haven't got many superstars and that adds to the beauty of how we coordinate and complement each other on the field: James Faulkner.